The Icsid World Design Congress is a high-profile international event of the industrial design industry. Held biennally in a member country, this prestigious event brings together an international audience to reflect, share and propose directions to advance the industry.

2009 is the 50th anniversary of the Icsid Congress. This year’s Congress will not be “just another Congress” and the agenda goes beyond industrial design. The Congress will directly address today’s global challenges which will shape the world of 2050, including issues around agriculture, climate, education, health and mobility.

Unlike conventional events which tend to feature one-to-many speaker sessions, the 2009 Icsid Congress will involve both keynote speakers, studio design leaders and delegates working together to chart a better future through design. The event itself embraces the future by featuring “Design2050 Studios”, inter-active and participative mini-symposia, led by world-renowned creative experts, including Chris Bangle of Chris Bangle Associates, and Stefano Marzano of Philips Design. In the months leading to the Congress, each of the design leaders will head a team of four to six individuals from multi-discipline backgrounds in various parts of the world to create a Design2050 proposition, by imagining, conceptualising and visualising a desired future.

Each Design2050 Studio will present, discuss and then refine their envisioned scenarios in partnership with delegates during the congress. The global public will also be able to contribute to inventing the future during open “ringside crowd-sourcing” sessions, and on-line social media forums.”

http://www.icsidcongress09.com